We are Free Software Community who initially formed thirty years ago in 1984 whom world wide people recognized by characteristics of bringing freedom software and GNU/Linux operating systems. We do a movement we call Free Software Movement. We have goal that is to change people to adopt free software. We demand that all software must be free otherwise we change people to switch to free replacements. What we do? We change people. Some have successfully changed, some changed partially, and many others have not. Thus, we are all in transitions. Let us not expect people could change instantly just like ourselves could not either and everything needs process to be done.
Changing ourselves is difficult. Changing people is also difficult. Thus, we are all in battle in this computing field battling against enemies called nonfree software with a lot of difficulties. Some can do it alone, some others with friends, the rest are practically weak or powerless if nobody helps them. This battle, these transitions, cannot be helped need priorities. We ought to priority things to be done orderly and not lump them together chaostically. Because of that, I present you my own battle, my priority list that I am practicing these years in my Free Software Computing School, and see how far you agree with me and can do useful meaningful things either alone or with team.
First is whether the person can use computer. If they cannot, I prioritise to enable them first whatever software and OS they are using.
Second is whether the person is willing to install or receive my help to install a free software in their own computer without removing any existing software in it. This step requires a lot of time for them. If they are not willing to, I stop myself switching them to GNU/Linux and looking for other people.
Third is whether the person is willing to install or receive my help to install a free software operating system in their own computer without removing any existing OS in it. If they are not willing to, I revert back to the Second until they are ready for the Third.
These all cannot be helped require teaching and education that means I must guide each person hand by hand, one by one, screenshot by screenshot, photo by photo (this granularly fine approach is suitable perhaps only in my country because here people do not understand English at all). In this level of transitions, it cannot be helped they will run a lot of nonfree software, because they are still learning the basics just like us in our initial time knowing Free Software Movement. Nonfree software are bad, but this effort is good, and their willingness is good also, it is a required step to get closer to nonfree software reduction for them. We cannot finish it in one swoop, so we patiently must do it repeatedly in many swoops. It is not fast, of course, but it is certainly better than nothing. This is what I said above about priorities. We have priorities and we do one thing at a time and we ought to do it well.
That’s why we are all in transitions. We congratulate people who already installed one free software, because it’s one step closer to full software freedom. We congratulate people who did two, did three, did a thousand, and so on whatever their situations might be. We support people who are willing to change towards full software freedom. We condemn Windows and MacOS but we solve issues with calm heads altogether.
In practice, I use Telegram, because of two reasons, Telegram is free software and people use it, both requirements met at the same time. Additional features are goodness, but with Telegram it is goodness over goodness, like its speed, groups and screen sharing, amd my people now are willing to learn software freedom even Trisquel through Telegram. I can use other alternatives but for now it works I and people need no change.
This is important. I do not switch my communication tool. So if you want to change me and thus my people to other tools like XMPP or Matrix, I reject that offers, for this time and this regard I do not need to change and you understand that considering all you read to this point. If you want to, why not first practice what you say by also teaching and educating mass people in a non-English developed country like described above? To say in another way, why not say that first to big projects namely Telegram itself, Debian Project, KDE, and F-Droid? They clearly told you Telegram is free software. My people will benefit from my school ability to use other free software messengers or tools if they want to and to reach that level I use with them Telegram as the classroom. I do not discuss this matter further as it is already clear enough.
I limit my lessons to things I see needed and useful, I do not teach anything not needed or not useful and I do not steer anyone towards such things. That’s why in my lessons, people learn GUI first before CLI, file manager before console, Synaptic before APT, use free software like LibreOffice and PeaZip in Windows before installing GNU/Linux, master their own desktop environment before anything else. That’s why people here only use EXT2 or EXT4, because for learning people others that that are not needed. That’s why the emphasize and stressing here is practice. We practice really a lot until we see people are enough to govern themselves in their own computing. Removing many low priority things from the lessons cannot be helped is required. These help a lot in helping people in their computing in general and software freedom in particular.
Up to this point, that is my battle story I share with you. Further, if we are lucky enough, we would see these people move by themselves towads software freedom just like us. I myself saw those happening and still increasing by day — I am the happiest person on earth. The lesson to be learned to me is that prioritizing things is a good strategy that can fruit in good results. We sow the seeds, we maintain them, we wait, and finally we reap the fruits, in order and with priorities, so we cannot jumble them together in disorder. We are all in transitions and I hope we can win all these transitions. That’s all and see you next time.